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| Disney Channel | |
|---|---|
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| Launched | 1 October 1995 |
| Owned by | Disney-ABC Television Group |
| Picture format | 4:3 16:9, 576i (SDTV) |
| Audience share | 0.5% (0.3% for +1) (March 2009, BARB) |
| Country | United Kingdom Republic of Ireland |
| Headquarters | Chiswick, London |
| Formerly called | The Disney Channel (until 1 March 1997) |
| Sister channel(s) | Disney Cinemagic Disney XD Playhouse Disney |
| Timeshift service | Disney Channel +1 |
| Website | www.disneychannel.co.uk |
| Availability | |
| Terrestrial | |
| Top Up TV | Via Top Up TV Anytime |
| Satellite | |
| Sky Digital | Channel 609 Channel 610 (+1) and Sky Anytime TV |
| Cable | |
| Virgin Media | Channel 724 Channel 725 (+1) and TV Choice On Demand |
| UPC Ireland | Channel 613 |
| IPTV | |
| Tiscali TV | Channel 302 |
Disney Channel children's entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland since 1 October 1995, aimed at both children and their families. A 1 hour timeshift service called Disney Channel +1 is available on Sky Digital and Virgin Media. Disney Channel also has three sister channels; Disney Cinemagic, Playhouse Disney and Disney XD.
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Overview
Disney Channel does not broadcast commercial advertisements, relying instead on revenue from the subscription fees that the viewer must pay in order to view Disney Cinemagic and its timeshift. Despite the lack of commercials, most non-movie programming is broken up by non-commercial breaks, during which trailers for Disney's programming and specially-commissioned short programmes (e.g. Disney 365) are usually shown.
Disney Channel also offers an interactive television service on Sky Digital. Viewers who press the red button on their Sky Digital remote control are able to access information about shows, character profiles, detailed TV listings, quizzes, and hundreds of messages submitted by viewers. The interactive service was designed and built by Pushbutton, and went live in September 2007[1] replacing the old service created by Tamblin. Previously, Disney Channel UK and Ireland also had a Teletext service, consisting of about 200 pages, known as Disney Text.
The interactive service also includes links to a small selection of games. Some can be played as 'overlay' games, with the channel video continuing in the background; others are accessible via a link to a Disney-branded section of BSkyB's Sky Games interactive service. The overlay games are developed by Pushbutton and French game developers Visiware.
Disney Channel sometimes carries the British version of sign language on its late evening programming. Many newer series, such as Hannah Montana, are also Audio Described on Sky Digital.
History and availability
Disney Channel was originally planned to launch in 1989 on the newly launched Sky satellite service. It was featured in much of the promotional material surrounding the launch of Sky Television and the Astra satellite. Due to an apparent dispute, the launch was cancelled. Sky Television filed a lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company for not launching the channel.[2]
The channel appeared on 1 October 1995. At first the channel's broadcasting hours were 06.00 to 22.00 with Sky Movies Gold airing during the station's downtime. The launch of Sky Digital in 1998 saw the channel increase its broadcasting hours for digital satellite viewers.
On 29 September 2000, Disney Channel launched two sister channels, a pre-school orientated Playhouse Disney and the now-defunct 24-hour cartoon channel Toon Disney. A one hour timeshift of Disney Channel also launched on the same day. All 3 were only available to Sky Digital subscribers. NTL and Telewest customers could only receive the main Disney Channel. On all platforms, the Disney Channel package was a premium offering, requiring an additional subscription fee in order to view, though Sky Digital subscribers could receive the channels for free if they also subscribed to the full Sky Movies package (aka Sky Movies World, with contained 4 Sky Premier channels, 5 Sky MovieMax channels and 2 Sky Cinema channels). Despite the launch of Playhouse Disney, Disney Channel continue to air a block of Playhouse Disney-branded preschool programmes during school morning.
In early 2006, Sky and Disney were locked in ongoing negotiations over a new contract for carriage on the former's digital satellite television service. The previous, ten-year deal, which was inked while Sky floated on the stock exchange in 1994, was temporarily extended whilst both sides attempted to reach an agreement. Sky was understood to have been seeking a substantially reduced payment towards the kids broadcaster[citation needed]. A new agreement, reported to be worth £130 million a year[citation needed], was reached on 27 February. As a result, on 16 March, Toon Disney was axed to make room for the premium subscription channel Disney Cinemagic, and Disney Channel +1 was temporarily replaced with Disney Cinemagic +1. Disney Channel +1 relaunched on 26 June 2006.
On 27 October 2006, Disney Channel was added to Top Up TV Anytime, a new service that downloads programming from 19 channels to a special digital video recorder. In 2007 Disney have added more VoD content to Virgin Media's Service. On November 22, 2007 it was announced Disney Channel joined the lineup for Picnic, BSkyB's proposed new pay-TV service for DTT.
Live Presentation
Until recently, live presentation was an important feature of Disney Channel. The best known example of this launched in September 1997 as Disney Channel UK Live, and relaunched as Studio Disney on 23 April 2001. Presenters included: Nigel Mitchell, Emma Lee, Leah Charles, Jean Anderson, Mark Rumble, Amy Garcia, Ollie from Freefaller, James McCourt, Jemma James (now Jemma Forte). Studio Disney ran on weekdays, usually from 4pm to 7pm, in direct competition with similar services offered by CBBC, CITV and Nickelodeon. The show featured a team of between two and six presenters who came on air between programmes, giving viewers the opportunity to call in, interact and win prizes. Studio Disney also produced many of its own short programmes, including Wish Upon a Star and Junior Journo, which were aired during the block itself and between programmes at other times. Studio Disney bowed out on 1 July 2005, in line with the disappearance of afternoon in-vision presentation on CITV and Nickelodeon the previous year and leaving the channel with a format similar to that of its American counterpart.
The live presentation of the show, would also run competitions in which viewers could win holidays, and other prizes. Special holiday competitions would be run, New Year, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Chinese New Year, Christmas, etc.
(i.e Mother's Day - Competition of 2003 involved Emma Lee surprising four entrants and their mothers to a special get-away. (i.e Father's Day - Competition of 2004 involved James McCourt and Nigel Mitchell treating one lucky dad to a day at Silverstone Grand Prix track.
At other times of day, pre-recorded presentation was used, typically recorded in such a manner that viewers would believe that it was live. An example of this was breakfast segment Up (and later called Zoom!), which was hosted out-of-vision by Capital Disney presenter, and managing director Will Chambers. Another example originated from the Monster March event that ran throughout March 2002, during which the schedule featured many monster-themed shows and movies. Pre-recorded sketches featuring a Mexican dinosaur puppet named Raoul were inserted between programmes, and as this proved popular[citation needed], Raoul was given a number of his own segments on the channel over the next few years, including The Raoul Show, Good Morning Raoul and The Raoul Summer. The best sketches from The Raoul Show were made into a series of short programmes entitled The Best of Raoul. Raoul was even the subject of a question on the 20th Anniversary edition of Trivial Pursuit[1].
Disney Channel also held an annual awards ceremony called the Disney Channel Kids Awards. The categories were centred around music, sport, television and film. The winners in each category were voted for by viewers online. The ceremonies, hosted by Studio Disney presenters, were held at The Royal Albert Hall and London Arena. These were broadcast on Disney Channel and Five and featured performances from popular music artists such as Girls Aloud.
Website
Disney Channel's website features information, games, interactive features and contact details and submission forms. The site has been made entirely in Adobe Flash since early 2002. In 2003, it was completely redesigned to fit with the other Disney Channel's worldwide after the global rebrand. In 2007, the service Disney XD (or DXD for short) was added to disneychannel.co.uk, when the website's homepage was revamped to fit the look of the American site. The Disney XD service was given to the United Kingdom because of its popularity. In June 2009, Disney XD was renamed as My Page to avoid getting confused with the Sister Channel Disney XD (UK & Ireland).
Disney Channel programmes
2009 Holiday Events
New Year's Day
On New Year's Day (1 January 2009) to 4th January there was back-to-back special episodes of Disney shows.
Zack and Cody February
In February, Disney Channel had lots of Zack and Cody mayhem. As well as the premiere of The Suite Life on Deck and Prince and the Pauper.
Valentine's Day
For Valentine's Day DC showed love episodes and movies of shows, as well as a new Hannah Montana romantic episode.
Montana March
Hannah Montana season 3 premiere. And Miley Cyrus in Berlin concert premiere.
Phineas and Ferb April
New Phineas and Ferb and Fan club show.
All-Star May
New Sonny with a Chance and Hannah Montana as well as Hannah-Oke and New Chloe in America
Team Demi and Selena
June 2009. With new Sonny with a Chance and Wizards of Waverly Place. Plus the premiere of Princess Protection Program
Summer of Stars
New episodes all Summer! Plus stars all summer with Miley Week,Selena Week, Demi Week, Dylan and Cole Week, Phineas and Ferb week and Movie Week.
Wiz-tober
With new episodes of Wizards of Waverly Place and the premiere of Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie. Plus Wiz-tober Half Term and Halloween as well as Wizards vs Vampires.
Christmas
Night of Premieres
Festive 5 You Decide: 3rd Place - Hannah Montana, 2nd Place - TBA, 1st Place - TBA
...and more.
Films
Disney Channel traditionally broadcast most of its movies, including Walt Disney Studios movies and Disney Channel Original Movies, on the main channel. These were usually shown daily at 7pm under The Wonderful World of Disney (earlier The Magical World of Disney) brand. On weekends, the channel would show at least three movies per a day. The Saturday Movie Showdown Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) took place every Saturday morning, wherein viewers were invited to vote for one of a selection of Sony Pictures three movies on the channel's website, the winner being Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968). Starting in 2003,[verification needed] Seeing Double (2003) a movie was transmitted in widescreen with Dolby Digital Surround Sound on Sundays at 4pm.
However, when Disney Cinemagic launched in March 2006, The Wonderful World of Disney and the Sunday widescreen movie were axed, and all Walt Disney Studios movies were moved over to the new channel. Disney Channel Original Movies are still broadcast regularly on Disney Channel, with premieres of new ones shown on Friday evenings a short while after their premiere in the US (usually a few weeks, though in some cases, e.g., Full Court Miracle, the delay can be up to several years). As a result of these changes, movies are now shown more frequently across Disney's channels overall, and non-subscribers can now see Disney Channel Original Movies.
References
- ^ "Pushbutton creates interactivity for Disney Channel UK". http://www.pushbutton.tv/html/news/article_0001.php?UID=43.
- ^ "Number 2043". SWEDEN CALLING DXERS. May 16, 1989. http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/dx/text/NEWS/SCDX/scdx2043.txt.
External links
- DisneyChannel.co.uk
- Disney Channel TV Listings
- The section of Disney's website which supports their "Red Button" interactivity
- Disney Channel at TV Ark
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